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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mate — a friend
  6. cue — a signal
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mate — to breed
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rush — hurry
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. rash — hasty
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. race — humankind
  22. bass — low music
  23. cue — a hint
  24. race — a contest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com